so its about 0220a here on the ship and i can't say i know how it got this late. i do know that i am only awake because of my awesome nap today :) we are now officially on spain time, a whole 6 hours ahead of the east coast. word on the ship is that land will be visible beginning at 0600 and we will be docked in spain at 0800.
its so crazy!
i'll be on another continent tomorrow! someone pinch me, please.
throughout the trip i have occasionally found myself getting frustrated with the state of life on the ship, or feeling cranky over limited food choices. but, as we were reminded tonight by dean mccabe, we need to be mindful of just how lucky we are. we are going to be IN spain, tomorrow! (and there will be pallets of food brought on the ship-- yay fresh fruit!)
we had our logistical pre-port tonight and got several reminders for being off ship. some reminders were funny-- no bringing fresh fruit or pocket monkeys back on the ship. (true story: a boy smuggled a pocket monkey through security. there are rumors as to the fate of the little guy, but i'd rather not know.) other reminders were more serious-- if you are mugged, don't fight and to always watch out for eachother. we said goodbye to david gies tonight, who we are all most certainly in love with, and he confirmed that he will be the academic dean for the fall 2010 voyage (interested, andrew?) we also got a picture with him & his email :)
plans have been checked, confirmed, filed with sas and double checked with all the girls. we have found some boys to travel with & know that nearly the whole ship will be in sevilla and that the hostel we are staying in is completely booked.
mckendree and i tried to pack tonight. that was a challenge. the forecast is 60 degrees and chances of rain. we are each trying to limit ourselves to a single backpack and purse while also accomodating 2-3 days off the ship. our mentality quickly became, "if we forget or need something; buy it." i'm liking that thought process. i think i'm all packed, have all my gadgets charged and am looking forward to espana!
okay, so now its late. i'm not sure if i'll blog between now and saturday, so don't hold your breath. :) just look forward to a long one about spain! i'll be careful, take tonsssss of pictures and be thinking of all of you!
xo, laura
ps. i just saw an email from unh -- enjoy your snow day!
27 January 2009
twas the night before spain..
26 January 2009
what to do in spain?
hi all, i'm back on again.
we have plans for spain! six girls and i are heading to sevilla. we will be in spain from wednesday through saturday. the game plan is as follows:
weds 28 jan : arrive in port @0800. we have no idea when we will be off the ship, but the plan is to head to the train/bus station as soon as we can. we will probably buy our tickets to sevilla, make a stop at the mall and walk around cadiz. from 1330-1830 i have the city orientation of cadiz. we will be walking around and seeing all the sites. i'll be on this tour with a girl named andrea who goes to university of san diego. we will be sleeping on the ship.
thurs 29 jan : up early, possible breakfast on the ship. bus/train to sevilla, which will take under 2 hours. a large number of sas kids will be heading to sevilla, so i'm sure we'll run into people. spend the day in sevilla, seeing the sights and taking everything in. stay over night in the oasis backpacker's hostel. the hostel is 15 euro a night which works out to 20 USD and includes lockers, breakfast & free internet.
fri 30 jan : possible day trip to cordoba. david, our interport lecturer, said this is a must. it takes 45 minutes to get from sevilla to cordoba so we will try to make it over there. spend the second night in sevilla; same hostel.
sat 31 jan : up early & head back to cadiz. return to the ship and then spend some time in cadiz before on-ship time at 1800. hopefully we will make use of an internet cafe and i can finally upload a picture or two.
it is so very hard to believe how close we are to spain! the dean's memo today announced that we had less than 800 miles to go as of 1200. everyone on the ship is definitely getting excited and we are ready to go. after the presentation about food in spain, we are all so ready to get off the ship and eat! we have lists of places to go and things to do, but i know we will have fun no matter what we end up doing.
after spain we only have one day on the ship and then we have 4 days in morocco! i don't have plans there yet, but most people don't. there are independant travel groups forming already, so i'll see what they have to offer. i think a night in marrakech is a must, but i would definitely be okay staying in casablanca.
today we had another global studies lecture with david, who is fast becoming everyone's favorite lecturer. he said that it was tough to get up and that it is "death by one hour a night," which is definitely the sentiment on the ship at 0900. but then we just remember exactly what it is we are doing and we all quit the complaining. i did lots of reading for my nutrition class which is becoming a full on biology class, which i wasn't completely expecting. sure, i know nutrition has to do with science, but he uses such big words! we had a nice dinner and chatted with the videographer who gave us good tips so that we'd end up on the videos. :P . i also caved and got a small soft serve cone from the snack bar. i wanted to hold out longer but i just needed a little pick-me-up. it definitely fit the bill, i just don't want to make it a habit and spend perfectly good money on snacks all the time. as a result the girls and i have decided that grocery shopping is a must in spain & morocco so that we can have snacks to hold us through the 8 day journey to namibia.
tonight marked our first cultural pre-port presentation. starting the night off was david, who we will all miss. his jokes keep us all awake! all the presenters talked about different aspects of spain and the culture. david discussed the different autonomous regions and then played jeopardy with some of spain's most famous festivals. turns out he was actually on jeopardy! then came a man who was so nervous and monotone that no one could follow. i know he mentioned francisco franco but thats about all i caught. the final presenter was a man who discussed flamenco and played some music for us. it was interesting, to be polite. all in all, everyone learned something. tomorrow we will have our last day of classes until after morocco and our logistical pre-port meeting. during that presentation we will learn what to do, which atm's to use, shopping etiquette and a list of don'ts.
all in all it has been a long day and we are now a whole 6 hours ahead of east coast! so its, uh, 2330. it has been much much more rocky and i think it is because we are going much slower, so the ship is lower in the water. regardless, i am feeling a little under the weather. i didn't get to nap today since i was doing homework, so its off to bed now. lets just hope nothing goes flying off the night table with all the rocking.
miss you all!
weekend update :)
25 January 2009
thoughts---
i just wanted to say a quick hi before i take a nap! i appreciate all of your comments and emails so much! they always seem to make me laugh and i always look forward to checking my emails. i think i will be sticking to blogging as my main form of communication, as its by far the easiest. if you ever want to simply email, i like that too :) lebeard@semesteratsea.net
so thats it for now! things are getting busier! thank you so much for reading! i'm so glad you are enjoying it. :)
24 January 2009
questions & answers
:)
hi everyone-- its been a busy day & i am certainly beginning to lose all sense of time. we lose another hour tonight, so my 0800 will be a challenge. did some reading up by the pool but it is definitely getting cooler, we are heading north to spain, so it is predictable. enjoyed an open mic night last night and a lecture tonight-- they definitely fill the evenings. i'm headed to bed now, but hope all is well! for this entry, i decided to mix it up a little. here are some of the common questions that i have received from you all about my trip. i know i've responded to some, but i figured many of you had similar questions. so here they are:
1. any cute boys on the ship?
well the answer to this one is a yes. the odds are not in my favor, however, so i'm waiting it out. i've made some guy friends and seem to meet new ones everyday. not looking for mr. right, i'll settle for some friends. we'll see what happens.
2. how are classes going?
well. global studies will be better once we begin discussing ports. we have covered several strange topics and hopefully the spain lectures are interesting. we had a special "explorer seminar" on spain's foods tonight from the preport lecturer. he was so funny, has a passion for good food and spain. tomorrow through spain he will be lecturing in global studies, so we are all excited to see him speak. the drawback to classes: reading. there are so many readings and with all the sunshine, its hard to prioritize. there is also a lot going on in the evenings, so its hard to do homework then.
3. how's the food?
pretty good, though slowly getting worse. clearly, there is no way to maintain super-fresh veggies and foods for 1,000 people over the course of 9 days. the lettuce is beginning to look sad and the carbs are frustrating. pb& j is the way to go for both breakfast and dinner. lunch is whatever veggies or meats that look edible. snack time, 10p is the best time. little sandwhiches and snacks that seem much better to the ones served at meals. i am most definitely missing the dining hall at unh, but i'll live. i am more excited for the food in spain, which the lecture tonight got me very excited about. i'll be dreaming of paella and red wine tonight. :)
4. how many bars on the ship?
two. there is one outside on the 7th deck and one next to the "formal" dining hall on the 5th deck. the drinking age is 18 as we are in international waters. there is a strict limit as to 2 drinks at dinner and a maximum of 4 on pub nights. pub nights are every night at sea except for nights before port. All students who intend to drink must pick up a drink voucher and keep it safe. if you lose it, you have to pay the full price of the card, $63. each drink is $3.50 and so i am not partaking. i would much rather save that money for something else. many people here simply want to try and get drunk, which is the attitude of most kids under 21. i can’t rationalize spending $20+ a night to drink wine on a night before class. i’ll save it for the ports and the good wine. i can’t say that i will never have some, but i don’t see the point in trying to get drunk.
5. does the ship have a casino?
no, they take our money in so many ways that i don’t need to lose money in a casino. there are, however, signs that direct you to where a casino could be. i guess the ship came with the signs and they just have not been changed. most of the rooms have been adapted to suit semester at sea’s classroom needs. there are partitions that can be put up to block off class space and there seem to be whiteboards stuck everywhere.
6. does the ship rock you to sleep?
absolutely. sleeping is easy, naps are wonderful and staying awake in class is a struggle. especially in the afternoon.
7. how is the school store?
very nice. i bought two sweatshirts because i could not choose. i got grey with blue letters and bright pink with big polka-dot letters. both are super cute :) the store also sells cups, mugs, water bottles, toiletries and school supplies. i think i have enough but at least i know where i can get things if need be.
8. did i see the inauguration?
yes! it was the quietest hour on the ship. we took a break from our scheduled orientation to watch the broadcast all over the ship. it was truly an amazing moment in history and i am so glad i got to see it in such a unique way: the middle of the atlantic!
9. have i been "icky seasick"?
luckily, no. i had a seasickness patch on for the first three days so i was able to avoid feeling icky. there is no way to avoid the funny feeling in your tummy when the ship rocks. we were going much faster at the beginning (20-22 knots) but have slowed down, which makes the cruising smoother. i am very fortunate to have a room on the 2nd deck, i swear its much less rough down here. the student union, on the 6th deck and to the front is the bumpiest place to be, i think. i have been sleepy, which is also a symptom, but i deal with that in the form of naps :)
10. am i meeting lots of people?
yes! there are approximately 1,000 people on board and everyday i see & meet more people i didn't know!
11. what are lifelong learners?
lifelong learners are adults who are along for the journey. we have 14 on this trip. they range in age from mid-twenties to late 60's. anyone can apply to be a lifelong learner. (aunt nancy! :) ) they sit in on classes, attend the programs, eat in the dining halls and spend time with the students and faculty. so many of the lifelong learners are well traveled and interesting people and i look forward to getting to know them better.
12. are lifelong learners like dorm parents?
no, the lifelong learners do whatever they want. we do have living & learning coordinators, who are essentially resident directors. this means many have sailed on previous voyages and hold a master's degree. there is one LLC per floor and they facilitate floor meetings and are around to help.
13. how's the boat?
it's a ship! and i have definitely gotten the hang of the nautical terms. the front of the ship is the fore, the rear is the aft. the left (when facing the fore) is port and the right is starboard. each level is a deck. time is all military. and i think thats all my ship terminology.
14. do i use up online time to type my blog?
no! here on the ship we are lucky to have free email accounts. this means that i can sit and type emails for hours on end and it will not cost me anything. i chose blogspot because there is a nifty feature for me to simply email my blog to post! so i dont even have to sign onto internet to post. i have however, used the internet a couple of times to check that my posts are up ( i actually uploaded one 4 times and had to delete some) when my computer loses connection or i think i've lost the post. we only get two hours of internet for the entire trip. 108 days. thats like a minute a day. as a result, i have forgotten what facebook, perez hilton and msnbc look like.
15. do we have classes everyday?
while cruising, yes. this means i had class today, and will tomorrow. there is no such thing as a weekend. but that just means we will not have classes in port. we do have to cram a whole semester inbetween ports, working out to about 40 class days total. we have an alternating schedule of A and B days. A days i am in class 0800-1200 and B days 0920-1035 & 1455-1610. we will occasionally have a day off from class, and those days will be neptune day & sea olympics.
*as i get more questions, as i assume i will, i'll save them up until i have enough for another q & a :)
23 January 2009
a day on the mv explorer
i have been hearing from many of you, asking about life on the ship. so i'm going to try and give you all an idea of the daily schedule.
0700 - wake up time for me. its getting harder and harder to do so as we keep losing time as we near spain. sunrise is not until around 0720, so its quite dark in the cabin. luckily, the porthole makes life much easier, letting in some ambient light. i love to look out the window in the morning to see the ocean-- it looks so much different at night than during the day, it looks much scarier and choppy. showering is interesting on the rocking ship, i always feel like i'm going to fall over. the water is very hot, so i can't complain. its nicer than the dorm shower!
0730 - if i have my 0800 class, i head up to breakfast on the 5th or 6th deck. i am liking the 5th deck, its not as busy and its more formal. the 6th deck has an outside eating area, so i like lunch/dinner out there. as i leave my room i often see andrew, my cabin steward, hanging around the hallway, waiting for us to get up and out. he's very nice, but also very quiet. he cleans the bathroom and makes our beds. he always puts my wall-e blanket in different spots, its always a surprise. breakfast is good, i have been sticking to peanut butter on toast and some yogurt. there are also waiters in the dining hall who will bring you juice and clear your plate. its truly hard to get used to being waited on, but i know its their job. many are phillipino and work to support thier families.
0800 - on a days, i have class in a small room off the student union. everything happens in the union. my class, english as a global language, is starting to become interesting (i've only had 2 classes, haha). professor thomas is from england and he still has a wonderful accent. he is well studied in scandinavian languages and russian. he says fun words like "bits" for "things" and makes funny jokes. i like him. for the class we are taking a few field trips, one to an indian outsourcing company and another to the afrikaans museum in south africa.
0920-1035 - global studies. the whole ship shuts down for this class, every day. its interesting, we have a funny teacher, who i may have mentioned looks like gandalf. we have talked about energy, the caribbean and today was weather. past voyages complain about the class, so everyone is hesitant. lets hope its better this time around.
1045-1200 - languages of the world. another linguistics class, on a days, taught by professor thomas. this is a larger class and we have a few lifelong learners in the class who have great stories to tell.
1200 - lunchtime. lunch is offered 1130-1330, and there is usually pasta. all the carbs! its rediculous! the lettuce is starting to look a little sad, so i try to stick to the vegetarian options. at lunch we also have the noon-time announcements! all announcements are made by the assistant dean, luke. he is the "voice." each day we hear a little report about where we are, how far we've traveled since the bahamas (1800+ since 1200 today..), the temperature of the water and any special notes.
1200-1455 - free time. i've done several different things the past few days and am looking forward to getting into a routine. this is prime naptime for many, or time to sit outside. its nice to sit up on the 7th deck by the pool, but its near impossible to even try and read. if i need to read i head to the 6th deck, where there is an overhang & its not as windy. this is also prime computer lab time (to print & research, on the free sites, things to do.) or library time. i use this as my siesta, check emails and hang out.
1455-1610 - b days, i have nutrition around the world. this is taught by our academic dean, reg garrett, who is so freaking smart. he is an accomplished biologist, and he is trying to make the class a "sneaky way to teach bio and chem to non-science majors," as he said. we had a quiz yesterday, i think i did well. they are just to check that we've read.
1700 - occasionally we get an announcement about time changes. the past few nights we have lost an hour, but i just heard that tonight we are not!
1800 - dinner on the 5th deck with a big bunch of girls who i've been hanging out with often. its fun, we get lots of tables near eachother (and near the dean, les mccabe & his family) and stay there for a while. as long as i have my peanut butter for dessert, i'm all good.
1900-2400 - free time. there is a lot of that, i suppose. i'll get back to the free time activities later...
how to send me mail!
here is the list of ports & port agents. i know some of you were wondering how to send me mail (which i'd love!), so here's how. the dates listed in the 3rd column are the suggested dates to mail letters. packages are not recommended, something about customs, you know. hah. so as of today, write to me in namibia! i'll be safari-ing there, and i'll love some mail to come back to!
| Cadiz, Spain | PEREZ Y CIA S.L. C/ Ecuador, 2 11007 Cadiz, SPAIN | January 14 |
|
Casablanca, MOROCCO |
LASRY MAROC S.A. |
January 18
|
|
Walvis Bay, NAMIBIA |
OCEAN LINER SERVICES The Maritime Building |
January 31 |
|
Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA |
JOHN T. RENNIE & SONS |
February 4 |
|
Port Louis, MAURITIUS |
IRELAND BLYTH LIMITED |
February 13 |
|
Chennai, INDIA |
J.M. BAXI & CO |
February 19 |
|
Bangkok, THAILAND |
OIA GLOBAL LOGISTICS (THAILAND) Ltd |
February 27 |
|
Ho Chi Minh City, VIET NAM |
GENERAL FORWADING AGENCY |
March 6 |
| HONG KONG Phone: 852 2786 1155 Fax: 852 2744 3240 | INCHAPE SHIPPING SERVICES (HK) Ltd. Units 1802-1805, 18th Floor Nº 3 Lockhart Road Wanchai, Hong Kong - CHINA | March 13 |
|
Shanghai, CHINA |
PENAVICO SHANGHAI |
March 19 |
|
Kobe, JAPAN |
INCHAPE SHIPPING SERVICES (Japan) Ltd. |
March 23 |
|
Yokohama, JAPAN |
INCHAPE SHIPPING SERVICES |
March 26 |
|
Honolulu, HAWAII |
INCHAPE SHIPPING SERVICES |
April 3 |
|
Puerto Quetzal, GUATELMALA |
Transoceanicas S.A. |
April 14 |
i have no idea how this will be formatted, so it is unclear, please email.
